Wheel.



M. LEITCH.

WHEEL.

, APPLiCATION FILED UJULY25, 1914.

WWW: a "1 4 $1 Mfiijfl'ZZ/L Mm Pater med Aug. 17, 1915.

MEREDITH LEIrcH, or POUGEHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR ro THE nu Lever. SEPARATORCOMPANY, or NEW YoR ,1\r. Y., acoaroaarron or NEW JERSEY.

WHEEL;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MEREDITH Lnrrorr, a citizen of the United "States, residing at Poughkeepsie, Dutchess county, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wheels, of which the following-is a full, clear, and exact de scription.

My invention relates to improvements in wheels, and has for its object to provide a wheel having a strong hard or cheap metal base and a soft metal rim, such for instance, as a rim of Babbitt metal.

It further has for its object to provide a gearwheel having these features.

With worm wheels and helical gear wheels on shafts at right angles, there is a large amount of friction making it desirable to use for the teeth, anti-friction metals such as various kinds of babbitt, etc. These metals, while having the low coeflicient of friction, lack the stiffness needed in the spokes and hubs of the wheels. The antifriction metals also have such a low tensile strength that rims of such metals shrunk on a stiff spider, are liable to stretch and become loose. By my invention I provide a wheel having a strong spider, which may be of cheap metal, and an anti-friction or soft metal rim-reinforced so as to give the sufiicient tensile strength to hold it tight upon the spider so as to obviate the .difiiculties above referred to.

The following is a description of an embodiment of my invention, reference being had to the accompanying. drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a wheel embodying my invention, parts being broken away; Fig. 2 is a section of the same on the line 22, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a similar section of a modification; Figs. 4 and 5 are similar sections of other modifications.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 is a spider having an integral rim 2v and made of cast iron or other suitable strong, hard and cheap material. The rim 2 is provided with integral lugs 3 spaced about its periphery. Upon the lugs 3 is supported a reinforcing ring 4 of steel or other suitable material. This ring may be of metal. in the form of a round wire, in which casethe lugs 3 are notched so as to form Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 25,

Patented Aug. 1?, 1915.

1914. Serial No. 853,030. I

may be omitted altogether, the ring being embedded as shown at 4 in Fig. 5 In this last construction the spider with its rim can be cast separately and the soft metal rim shrunk on to the spider. In the preferred form of wheel, however, I first form the spider with lugs 3 thereon and place upon the lugs the ring 4. I then place it in a suitable mold, preferably a metal mold, and cast the soft or weak anti-friction metal rim 4 about it so that it surrounds the lugs 3 and the reinforcing member 4. When casting in this manner, 1 preferably shape the parts so that one of the engaging surfaces of the spider and soft metal rims is recessed, while the other fits therein. In the form shown in Fig. 2 the spider rim is recessed and the anti-friction rim fits therein,.while in the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the inner surface of the anti-friction portion is recessed and the spider rim fits therein. The reinforcing ring on the spider rim is preferably tinned before casting the anti-friction rim 4 around it. The lugs 3' also serve to assist in securing the two parts together and preventing movement of the soft rim upon the spider. After the anti-friction rim 4 is cast upon the base I cut the gear teeth 5 therein, where the invention is embodied in a gear wheel.

In casting the anti-friction rim upon the spider the reinforcing ring 4 being of light material will be quickly heated by the molten metal and expanded and will thereafter cool with the anti-friction metal and by shrinking pull the anti-friction rim tight on the spider. The ring 4 not only reinforces the soft rim, but acts to hold it in place.-

As will be evident to those skilled in the art my invention ermits of various modifications without eparting from the spirit thereof and the scope of the appended claims.

What-I claim is:

1. .In a wheel, the combination of a spider of strong metal, a rim of Weaker metal and a reinforcing ring of high tensile strength Within the body of said rim.

2. In a gear wheel, the combination of a metal spider, a rim of anti-friction metal,

and a ring of high tensile strength inclosed Within said -3. In a wheel, the combination of a metal spider having'formed on its periphery projecting lugs, a-reinforcing band supported by and located upon said lugs, and a rim of weaker metal surrounding said lugs and said band. z

4. In a Wheel, the combination of a spider of strong metal, a rim of Weaker metal and a reinforcing ring of high tensile strength a by and located upon said lugs, and a rim .of weakermetal surrounding said lugs and said band, theends of said projecting lugs being notched and partially surrounding said band. i

MEREDITH LEITCH.

Witnesses:

W. MURDOCK, E. LOUNSBERY Du Hole. 

